The tiny silicon-based chips are no larger than a grain of sand, and contain trace amounts of magnesium and copper. When swallowed and exposed to digestive juices, those materials produce a slight voltage which can be detected by a special skin patch and relayed to a smartphone. It not only serves as a fool-proof reminder as to if and when you've taken a pill, but it also allows healthcare providers to know for sure if medication has been taken by a patient who has trouble caring for themselves.

However, the approval granted by the FDA and Europe's regulatory body are only based on successful studies where the pill was embedded in a placebo. But the company is confident that it should work just as well with actual medications, and is anticipating further approvals in the near future. [Proteus Digital Health via Nature via Popular Science]